beleos: (pic#15952557)
beleos ([personal profile] beleos) wrote in [community profile] kenoslogs2023-08-18 09:53 am

Toxic Love: The Exalt Oracle


NOTHING GOES OFF WITHOUT A HITCH
You feel it, the moment that the Exalt oracle opens its eyes, like something that rips through your body from head to toe, something that feel like fire, wild. It sears into your veins, like acid and fire, something that triggers something that makes you want to run, or perhaps turn and face something head on. Before you can find what sets you off – if you could find it. Bearers know what this sensation is, it is different but the same at its core. The emotions, the feelings it sparks are different – but in the end, you know it for what it is: An Oracle.

Kenos groans from the awakening, like a part of a whole sparks to life, and though you do not know what it is that they want yet, you understand and know their existence down to your core. That feeling to attack or defend, perhaps even flee, does not leave you, but instead it fills your veins, you feel it thrumming, pulsing, like the beat of a heart – if one has one. With the sense of awakening, bearers know the shape of what comes next, they will be asked to act, to do. You do not know how it will happen, or what the Exalt will ask of you, but the knowledge that it will happen is borne from experience, not from the Oracle itself.

As you begin to move, to… look, you are not long for this day, it clouds your mind, a hazy, drowsy feeling takes over, the encroaching dark that threatens to swarm, crowding from the sides, taking over your vision – until… it fully takes over, and Bearers are put into a deep slumber.


When bearers awaken, it’s difficult to make sense of what your sleepy eyes see. Structures begin to swim into view, and they like tall figures looking down upon you. It’s difficult to tell what they are at first, but as you wake up, you begin to see, they are not people, or creatures, but long spore-like stalks. Some have ribbed overgrowths that you can see, and some end in growths that ripple and hang over, but have no “cap”. They tower over the bearers, like towering spires and buildings, on all sides, as if they were trapped in a ring of them. As bearers look around them they will notice tall green spires around them as well, and it takes a moment for things to really settle in. Mushrooms. Blades of grass. The springy moss about them is almost as tall as they are, low to the ground. There are pebbles that appear as boulders, and the thunderous steps nearby indicate an insect or arachnid walking by, far larger than you. There is a stillness to this space, like a held breath, and as the bearers awake, and regard one another, and then to the center of the circle is – a small effigy in the center.

It is here, the Exalt Oracle, and you feel compelled to regard it, before you are given a pang down to your core. It compels you – pleads, asks, begs, and demands, all in one – for what it wishes for. Precious mementos and precious items that they are missing. They have been lost, and they are somewhere within the Liosachán. It beseeches the bearers to return its items, and begs they be returned here to the circle. There are no words, but there is a pleading sensation, a feeling that these items are treasured by this Oracle.

You feel at your sides, your pockets, and find one item on your person, a weapon, a companion, whatever it is you would bring with you to the conflict, shrunk down to a tiny size with you.

Stay steadfast, bearers, and capture the flag Oracle!
SURVIVAL OF THE SMALLEST ( DAYS 1 - 5 )
Unlike the still, stale apocalypse that had been the setting of the Iconoclast Oracle, the greenhouse is lush and vibrant with activity.

The Effigy present within yearns to be reunited with what belongs to it, fixated upon the five items lost within the greenhouse. The swell of its longing fills all Shardbearers, urging them to take action, claim the items and present all five to it to attain victory for that Faction.

Over a period of ten days, Shardbearers of both factions will have to navigate environmental dangers, and the normal procession of time, as the greenhouse is going about its daily routine. Workers plod around like towering goliaths, weeding and watering and pruning the greenhouse's contents. The Liosachán's native population of fae begin to take notice of the newcomers in their midst, emerging from grassy mounds hidden in the natural landscape to spy and pry about the newness surrounding them.
Naturally curious, and equally dangerous, the fae of the Liosachán are Highstorm natives. They range in cool coloration, from soft violet-greys to deep stormy blues, and wear clothes fashioned from of goods pilfered from the pockets of workers, dropped on the ground or handcrafted from the environment itself. Wielding bits of copper tightly wound into blades and spears, they are a ferocious and cunning little people who seek to trick, trap and toy with Shardbearers. Direct violence is anathema to them, but violence that happens as a result of falling to one of their ploys is a badge of honor.
DAY ONE - THREE. The Effigy initially urges Shardbearers to build bases of operation for defense and practicality, as surviving ten days without supporting one another is a surefire way to meet a grisly, tiny little end. Resources must be gathered: gather food and water, prepare shelter, establish unity and organization and prepare to set off into the wilds soon.

For Shardbearers demonstrating particular selflessness, favoring the protection and defense of another, the Effigy responds warmly from the third day onward — rewarding them with a sign of their dutiful nature towards others in the form of fairy wings, the form of which are unique to the Shardbearer themselves.

DAY FOUR. The sudden thunderous sound of a storm begins. No, not a storm, the tumble and crash of water pouring down upon the greenhouse — the workers of the Liosachán perform their routines faithfully, after all. In watering the garden, the danger of the environment threatens to overtake Shardbearers and their work alike. Drops of water fall, their size equal or larger than even the tallest of characters, and trickles of water muddy the ground in the form of raging rapids.

The security of Meridian and Zenith's camps is even called into question, because as simple as the act of watering a garden is, it is a nightmarish situation for such itty bitty Bearers to be in!

DAY FIVE. By day five, the fae of the Liosachán no longer lurk and linger in the corner of one's eye. They make themselves known, having prepared a banquet below one of the mushrooms, within sight of the Effigy. A table draped in spider-silk lace awaits any Bearer who comes near enough, the sagging piece of driftwood polished to a gleam with golden sap, leaving it waterproofed and pretty to behold. A handful of corks serve as seating, with most of the fae draping themselves across scraps of cotton as though they are simply at a picnic.

They invitingly wave to Shardbearers, chattering brightly in their foreign, lilting tongue, waving tiny sandwiches and little clay pots full of jams and honeys, brandishing sugared berries that they bite into with gusto, staining their arms and faces in swathes of blue and red. They clearly are welcoming to whomever comes upon them, urging them to avail themselves to the bounty they have prepared. Perhaps some characters know better than to eat the food of the fae, recalling legends and lore about the mystical properties and implicit bargains made in becoming a guest. Perhaps some have no idea, and are simply hungry enough to dig in!

UNWILLING TEN-ANTS ( DAYS SIX - EIGHT )
The scuttling, scrabbling feet of ants crawling over surfaces, winding their way through this grassy playground, has become normal. Their feet thunder as they go about their business, and it seems to be a normal cadence to life here in the underbrush, in the greenhouse. It is normal, and it is has become nothing to really concern oneself with. They are ants, after all, what do they do, but work? Endlessly, continuously.

That is, until the heavy, loud sounds of their feet draw closer to whatever place that the bearers have found to camp in. Whether solitary or as a group, these workers are no longer content to simply ignore the bearers, but they are a curiosity, perhaps even a bother. You have disrupted their lifestyle. The sleepy pattern of obtain food, return ot the hive, and back out again now has obstacles. Now there are not simply the fairies, who live their own lives and existences, a part of the ecosystem, but now there are these tiny bearers. Fighting, working together, arguing and disagreeing.

You are disruptive to their way of life.

The ants have come to collect on this due, and some bearers that are vulnerable, or perhaps merely caught, are taken away, your weight so light compared to the rest of their burdens that they carry. The strength of these ants is overwhelming, incredible at this size, and try as you might, if you are caught in their strong mandibles, you cannot escape. An ant, after all, carries 1000 times their weight with those powerful jaws. You, bearer, are nothing to them.

They squirrel away the bearers within their hill, a complicated network of tunnels, junctions, and large spaces. Down within, where the air becomes stifling, and stale. The ants guard their pray, and you get the distinct sense that they see you not as people, not even as enemies, but as prey. You will be food – perhaps to the eggs that are gathered within this room, where you can see the stirring of new life, just beneath the surface. You may not have very long to live, if these little larvae get their mouths on you.

Or perhaps, your friends will save you? Once it is discovered that bearers are missing, the trail of ant prints on the ground is apparent – they are not stealthy creatures – and the feet lead from the locations of several kidnapped bearers toward the grainy ant hill that lies not far away. The hill itself swarms with life, with worker ants all over the surface, scuttling about, looking for the next meal for te colony. Or perhaps for more bearers to bring back for their young.

It will be dangerous, bearers, to save your friends. Should you choose to do so, you will be kicking the anthill, and the ants will protect what is theirs. Even if they just took it. Those bearers belong to them, now! Rescuers will find not only your average worker ant, ready to defend, but winged male ants will attack from above, and deeper, within the nest, near where the bearers are kept, lies the strongest ant in the colony: The Queen. Staggeringly large, strong, and vicious, when her subjects begin dying. She will do everything in her power to protect her colony, and that includes killing bearers, if need be. Or trying, at least.

Good luck rescuing your friends, bearers!
IN SMALL PACKAGES ( DAYS NINE - TEN )
The day after the ant-pocalypse brings with it the brush of recognition — the Effigy has foreseen the likely victors, and calls to them to approach it once they have suitably recovered. It judges them the ones whom are most devoted to what binds them, loyal to memory and remembrance, and begins to clamor for them to restore to it what belongs rightfully. Thus begins a full day of resting, locating last-minute items, shoring up defenses and preparing for the sprint to the finish line.

Certainly your rivals will not allow you to simply walk to the Effigy unassailed and unchallenged.

Eat, rest, ensure your fellows are close and bolstered, for tomorrow begins the final rally.

On the morning of the tenth day, Meridian Shardbearers approach the Effigy with its five items in hand. In the midst of the mushroom ring, the Effigy stands as it had in the beginning — arms outstretched and back bowed skyward, gnarled fingers seeking contact with that which has been lost to it. It awaits, it strains, and even as it does, it requires one last test of ability. From the shadows of the towering mushrooms, the rasp of scale and soft hiss of a great beast descends upon the fae ring.

A gleaming garden snake, with glossy black and green stripes, blocks the way between approaching Shardbearers and the Effigy.

Between its bright eyes, pressed upon its brow is a scattering of brighter scales that appear to be in the shape of a delicate, three-leafed plant with spiraling patterns for leaves. It braces itself against the approach, and there is no doubt that to claim victory, the serpent must be subdued. Though Meridian approaches with victory in hand, they have not yet attained it — their rival faction and this beast remain in their way.

MISSING LINKS ( THROUGHOUT )
As the Effigy desires to be reunited with what belongs to it, the swell of its longing stirs something more within all present Shardbearers.

With that foreign longing arrives knowledge: beyond the five items prized by the Effigy itself, there are other lost things within the greenhouse. Like a compass, each Shardbearer's mind points them in direction after direction, urging them to seek and explore. Implicitly, the thrum of comprehension fills your mind: these are things that do not belong to you, per se, but seek to have your hands ferry them home.

Amidst tangled brush, hidden under doffed acorn cap, tucked away in the belly of a fae's glittering den, lost in the depths of a puddle of spilled water that seems an insurmountable lake now, folded secretly into the petals of a towering, skyscraper-like flower, there are three additional items hidden within the tumultuous landscape that each Shardbearer feels a draw towards. Things that belong to someone else, eager to be reunited with them, but subject to whim.

Upon locating and retrieving one, the Shardbearer is filled with a sense of information — they know who this item belongs to, and they will know that they have a choice. Bonds are fragile things after all, and they exist to be enforced or abused, in order to advance a goal or to deepen a connection. How will you treat someone's precious bond? How will they treat yours?
NOTES
Here are some prompts to set the scene and foundation of the Exalt Oracle! — The theme of this Oracle is a loose edition of capture the flag, where the Effigy's items can pass through multiple hands within the ten day allotment.

— For additional ideas and fun, it is known that several Shardbearers have concluded their efforts to fulfill the Greenwood Yards' sidequest request.

— All details of the Exalt Oracle can be found here, and questions for the mods can be submitted here.
CODING
envoyoftwilight: (you want so much)

[personal profile] envoyoftwilight 2023-08-24 12:15 am (UTC)(link)
[What exactly is she in? As Midna's taking the time to really look and feel with a dual-toned hand in blue and black, she can admit that her knowledge and plants and other such things that don't exist in her world is relatively beyond her. Botany and plant identification wasn't exactly high on her list of priorities when it came to Hyrule and the shared plight.

Looking back over to Liem who looks... Well. A bit less put together than the first time she'd met him, she offers a short tip of her head. Wordless acknowledgement. Or maybe she's still a little tickled pink by the whole 'Miss Midna' thing. Times and places, of course, though even in the midst of all this, a princess is still very much a princess.

She's coming to learn that fairly quickly, honestly.]


So I'm beginning to find out. This must be what it's like when we're out and about travelling, hm? Poor little darlings.

[Although whether she's serious about that or not is questionable. Fingertips sprawled against greenery, which seems to be broad leaf of some kind, her posture straightens and she takes the opportunity to brush herself off and try to right herself.]

Although you seem to be getting along just fine. Done this before, perhaps?
wolfish: (distant)

[personal profile] wolfish 2023-08-24 12:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ The first answer Yuri supplied was to point somewhere above and behind Byleth's shoulder. There sat a series of spiderwebs some distance overhead, and among the captured remains of various small insects was an object that quite clearly didn't belong, moonglow glinting off of its polished surface. ]

Right up there. I've been debating whether I can throw my sword high and hard enough, or if a Cutting Gale can reach that far.

[ One way or another, Yuri intended to get that memento back for Byleth. Was it because Rin told him Byleth had called him a friend and even seemed happy about it? Goddess only knows (except no she may not either), but Yuri had decided this was an important endeavor. ]

I don't miss, so it's a matter of logistics, really.
diversionist: (r1 » arms crossed.)

[personal profile] diversionist 2023-08-24 12:55 am (UTC)(link)
[ he likes amos.

he likes amos, and so it's a shame about this conversation. he has an idea of how this will go over. he has an idea of how much he could expect amos, who had been part of the reason he chose zenith in the first place, to understand his decision. especially when he can't provide the context, the real reason for his choice. amos isn't the first person he's let down for reasons he couldn't explain; he probably won't be the last. ]


I'm not.

[ going the wrong way, that is. he doesn't make to put down his burden yet, dewdrop precariously balanced in his arms. ]

I'm going the right way, for Meridian.

[ and a part of him thinks: his blaster is missing. and a part of him thinks: he knows how long it would take for him to reach for his knife, if it comes to that. he could buy seconds by throwing the dew in amos's face. enough? maybe. if it comes to that. ]
epiprocta: (39)

[personal profile] epiprocta 2023-08-24 01:23 am (UTC)(link)
[ 'We should walk the rest of the way,' he'd told Amos. Foolish in retrospect. Something he'd regret in retrospect. But that's the thing they say about hindsight, isn't it?

Maybe if they'd simply glided into Zenith camp on Amos' wings the whole way, it really would have been easy sailing. But because Gen had eventually wanted to be put back down on his own two feet, once the euphoria of their victory faded just enough to give way to typical teenage pride and embarrassment, and because he'd also figured that preserving a bit of Amos' strength might be the sensible choice in the long term, he'd suggested that they land once they just had to cover a stretch of flat(-ish) land to reach where the Zenith campsite was squirreled away. Nothing could go wrong during that short trek, he'd figured.

His skin crawls the moment they spot that familiar figure, as if she's just been waiting for them to show up. ]


The hell're you doing here.

[ Gen's response is, of course, immediately aggressive. But that alone is no sign of suspicion. (Yet.) It's simply that Gen can't bring himself to drop his guard around Yima. Everything about her -- the kindness in his words, the gentle aura she exudes, the softness of her gaze -- reminds him too much of her. (Breaths in his ear. Warmth against his back, arms laced over his shoulders. A soft gaze boring into him.) Though Gen does slow his steps to regard her, he maintains a firm distance between himself and where she stands, shoulders squared and brow lowered into an intimidating scowl. ]

Thought you never actually bothered stepping outside for this shit. Made us do all the dirty work for you. What, did you think you needed to show up and babysit us?

[ He finishes off that statement with a haughty exhale, then looks towards Amos to see what his companion has to say. After their sweeping victory, it's not like they particularly want or need any guidance from someone like her, right? With the way she always sits back with her hands kept squeaky clean, making her pawns do all her work for her, she's not like them. They can just get this conversation done with quick and get going again real quick, right? ]
bakedapple: (fanart // grief)

[personal profile] bakedapple 2023-08-24 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
I don't need anything in return.

[ He states plainly, gently hoping it might make Bondrewd change his mind. But... he seems pretty insistent on not taking it back. This seems very odd, considering how much Link knows — somehow knows — that this is an object important to Bondrewd, a man who cared so little for material possessions that he lost his body and humanity to this "Abyss" he often speaks of. Perhaps that's why Link feels so certain it has to be meaningful to him, whether the Exalt Oracle is telling him so or not.

There's a thoughtful him as Link pauses for a moment.
]

... I guess, maybe, I want more than just to return it to you. It's just... been a while, since we last spoke.

[ ... ]

I'm better now than I was before. But not completely. And I can look back on how bad it was then, and feel foolish about how I was dealing with it.
bakedapple: (fanart // apple)

[personal profile] bakedapple 2023-08-24 01:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ As she nears, he wades out of the puddle and up onto the shore. His boots and tunic and equipment are laid out against a boulder-sized peddle, spared from the waterlogged fate of his trousers. Link is so busy admiring Midna that her question catches him off guard. He stops, holding tight to the creature (some kind of bug larvae, it seems) trying to free itself from the net. ]

Oh, you mean...

[ He turns his head to look down at his tail. His tail, in turn, stops wagging and curls to the side, as Link gives himself a good look at it. The tail is hardly the only change his body has suffered, but it is the most obvious. With a soft noise, he turns to lay the net out on top of the rock — giving her a look at the green rocky spikes which continue up his tail to his upper back. ]

...yeah. I guess you could say that, sort of. They aren't kidding when they say not to let your Discord get too out of hand.

[ Link flashes her a self-deprecating smile as he admits to it and shrugs his shoulders. Truthfully, he's pretty upset about his body being like this, but he doesn't have the luxury of being upset about things. Especially things that are his own fault. ]

You look beautiful today. [ a polite compliment, one he seems comfortable giving. ]
epiprocta: (x 08)

[personal profile] epiprocta 2023-08-24 01:40 am (UTC)(link)
[ He's being treated like a child, isn't he? (He is literally a child right now.) Tiny Gen gives a tiny frown before looking Rin in the eye as he retorts, ]

People who say that kinda thing are supposed to be the most suspicious.

[ For better or for worse, he was always a precocious, strong-headed little shit, even in his youngest days.

Still ... Gen fusses with the ribbon for a moment afterward. Partly because it's uncomfortable by virtue of a too-large waistband cinched around his body, but mostly just because it gives him something to distract himself with as he mumbles, ]


... but you're the only normal person I've found so far. So. I'll follow you for a bit. [ He says, like it's a choice, and he'd otherwise seriously consider forging off alone into the terrifying wilderness. He says, like he's not genuinely quite frightened and grasping for some semblance of an anchor. ]
envoyoftwilight: (be in love with you)

[personal profile] envoyoftwilight 2023-08-24 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
[She cocks a dark eyebrow as she takes him in. She could explain it to him, but that might not change anything. He doesn't even realise why it could be a problem. Why it is a problem for someone like her, who is, to be fair, a little too obsessed with herself.

Sucking in her composure to bind it tightly together, she decides it is better for everyone involved if she just lets it go.]


Callous or not, you're mistaken if you think everyone is so kindhearted. Some of us are not interested in the affairs of others unless we can get something from them. [And by 'some of us,' she really means herself.] That said, I can't have you worrying over little, old me, so I think I'll stay with you for a little. Take any food you might have off of your hands. Just to reassure you.

[Definitely not because she needs the assistance.]
lockedon: (pic#14244911)

[personal profile] lockedon 2023-08-24 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
[ Maybe Dokja has practice with telling this lie so often it sounds as real as any truth, but Eustace too has experience with falling and getting back up, again and again, and knowing which parts of the body bruise most often when faced with a ground-ward impact. More than that, he can recognize the sadness in this boy's eyes, one that doesn't fully match up with the words being said.

Underneath all that is a nagging sensation, persistent in its reminder that he's forgotten something. That there's something he hasn't quite grasped about this situation that remains just out of reach.

He doesn't fully believe but neither does he continue his questioning, too keenly aware of the need for some secrets to stay as they are: secrets. Instead, he nods towards the basket, too big for his small hands. ]


What's in the basket?
epiprocta: (03)

[personal profile] epiprocta 2023-08-24 01:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ Yeah, that sure is Amos, friendly words and messed up priorities and easygoing acceptance and all. Coming from someone else, that blasé comment about the abundance of food might have earned more open disdain, but since it's Amos -- Gen just gives an amused huff as he regards the enormous almond. ]

Yeah, it was bad, wasn't it. Managed to dodge it by just getting in the ground, but it probably would've been bad if I couldn't pull that shit. Imagine drowning 'cause you got hit by a bit of rain -- I'd never stop being pissed about it. ... hey, break me a piece, too.

[ That casual demand is accompanied by a hand held out, and Gen (insufferably!!!) just waits for Amos to hand him a snack, too. But, like. That only makes sense, doesn't it? It's not like he can break that almond apart with his bare hands, and it's only because Amos has those weird claw knuckles that he can do it so easily. -- wait. They're not knuckles, huh? Gloves? No -- ... claws.

It's a testament to how tired he is that Gen had completely failed to notice all of Amos' myriad changes at first, homing in on just the friendly face and the familiar voice, but now that he's looking properly and Amos has brought attention to them, his gaze drifts up towards

those ears.

Those adorable, adorable ears.

Gen promptly breaks into a short bark of laughter, obnoxiously hyena-like. ]


The hell're those?! [ And of course he doesn't ask permission before just getting back to his feet, leaning over so he can tweak out of them with his fingers. Not anything rough, just a little squeeze so he can watch it wiggle in response. ] Man, they're the real deal, huh? You look good. [ Said in a tone of voice that very much implies he's saying it as a joke. ] Reaaaaal cute. Too bad we're in the middle of this bullshit, 'cause I bet girls'd really dig that shit. Squealing about how you're so adorable and all.

[ His own ears are perked up in amusement, his tail wagging behind him as Gen plunks himself back down in his seat, and he gives Amos a lazy sideways grin. ]

Not much you can do about'em, though. Just ignore'em -- s'what I've been doing with mine. Not like they get in the way of that much unless you're really into hats, yeah?
envoyoftwilight: (I'll be coming home)

[personal profile] envoyoftwilight 2023-08-24 01:53 am (UTC)(link)
[Her eyebrows raise at his explanation. Had she missed that part upon her arrival? She has to wonder what her discord is like at present. Perhaps not terribly adjusted considering that so much of her time is spent in Springstar with those of the faction she's allied herself with. To her knowledge, anyway.

Midna ought to keep an eye on that, perhaps. Last thing she wants is to wake up one day with some extra appendages that she doesn't know what to do with. Either way, it's something to consider.

Eyeing him curiously, she shakes her head slowly. No need to scold him when he seems to be doing so himself. She doesn't offer much in the way of reassurance either.]


Interesting. Maybe I wasn't listening when I was being warned of it. I'll have to keep an eye out for any tails... or other littler additions.

[Midna smiles sweetly and decides to address nothing more on it unless he wishes for her to. Instead, as he comments on her, she preens. It's been a trying time so far. That he thinks so highly of her, continues to, is perhaps a kindness she's not earned.]

Are you implying I am not always beautiful?
lockedon: (058)

[personal profile] lockedon 2023-08-24 01:59 am (UTC)(link)
[ D being nice and tolerating this shit......That's so sweet of him. 🥺 He really should cast this suspicious dogman aside and leave him by the side of the road.

But instead they keep walking together, and the admission that, yes, this guy has in fact misplaced some objects has Eustace perking up because wow! Maybe he can be useful! Maybe he can help find these items! And then D will realize his worth and decide that they, he's worth keeping around and the two of them can live happily ever after together. (No.) ]


What do they look like? I can help keep an eye out.

[ Please let him help. 🥺 ]
epiprocta: (35)

[personal profile] epiprocta 2023-08-24 02:03 am (UTC)(link)
[ Look, sometimes your monstrous pride and aggression just far outstrip any desire to sensibly stay out of the way, okay. B-baka, it's not like he finds some comfort in the mindlessness of stupid brawls.

So even when that punch -- a good punch, excellent flavor, hard enough to make his head spin and his vision blink with stars for a moment, a solid 8.5/10 -- snaps his head to the side, earning a moment of blessed silence for D, Gen's viciously quick to slip back into the offensive. It doesn't even matter that his field of vision is still wobbling, because at this close proximity, there's no need to aim. ]


The fuck do you know about what I want!

[ The next thing he attempts is a flat hand strike aimed at the underside of D's jaw. But honestly, that one's sloppily executed -- just a distracted, one he hardly cares if it lands or not. Instead, his focus is on his left arm. Maybe if D's senses are very sharp, he'll hear the minute sounds of gears shifting and cables pulling taut emanating from that limb; Gen building tension in that prosthetic limb. Then he aims to smash it into the backside of D's trapped arm, right at the point of his elbow. Aiming to shatter that joint, for starters. ]
settingup: (the chicken nugget)

[personal profile] settingup 2023-08-24 02:08 am (UTC)(link)
[ He's making a real, good faith effort here at being more pleasant to Gray. Something about being told off by Add actually managed to get through to Atsumu's thick skull, and the proven willingness to indulge in his interests didn't hurt. Sure, more pleasant mostly means just not being actively unpleasant, but that's real effort on Miya Atsumu's part!

The problem is that as much as he's not trying to be a rat bastard to Gray these days, he still is on the opposite side of this conflict from her, and burgeoning acquaintanceships (he's still not nice enough to be considered a friend) aren't enough to make him sit back and take an easy L on this one.

His new furry ears twitch on top of his head at the sound of that bell, and while it takes him a second to realize what's happening, he's fast to react and race after her.
]

Hold on! Just where do you think you're goin'?

[ He doesn't have a concealed blade on his side... but he does have a chainsaw (thanks, Gavial) that he's been lugging around, so if worse comes to worse, he figures he can break through the underbrush on his own. ]
vallt: (66)

» any interested meris + guest starring mordred | squirrel raid

[personal profile] vallt 2023-08-24 02:10 am (UTC)(link)
[here are the facts: jyn couldn't give a single bantha's shit about the golden object she'd swiped from the ground and walked away with; yes, it's one of the items that the effigy is seeking (she'd gotten the same message as everyone else, though she'd put a significant effort into paying as little attention as possible), and no, she really doesn't care. she doesn't care who wins or loses this stupid oracle, she doesn't care about oracles in general, and she doesn't really care about anything except getting out of this stupid place.

and here are also the facts: jyn starts to care about this stupid object, quite a fucking lot, the second it's swiped from her hands by a fucking squirrel.

she starts to care about it so much, in fact, that after a blink to register what's happened, then another to decide how she feels about it (mad; she's mad), she takes off running at top speed. unfortunately for someone who's tiny, a squirrel is now much faster, so it's gone, out of her line of sight, before she can get far.

that doesn't stop her, though, nor does it stop her from yelling out her frustrations, very unintelligibly, as she goes.

for those who happen to be nearby, close to the meridian camp, it definitely makes a scene.

and that's what you missed on glee!]
Edited 2023-08-24 02:10 (UTC)
erbe: (065)

[personal profile] erbe 2023-08-24 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
Of course I did!

[With her hands on her hips she puffs out her (comedically modest for this type of action) chest like a proud bird showing off.]

Just a little magecraft and regular stamina is all it needed for the transport.

[Though getting it in the first place was a dual effort with a literal horse-girl jinba who crossed paths with him last time an Oracle was up for grabs. In fact the entire reason Tohsaka felt like hedging her bets on Dark was the safer option when it was a choice between Antichrist and Demon.]
erbe: (097)

[personal profile] erbe 2023-08-24 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
[Once Mordred is spotted as having been close enough to be the culprit of the bite, Rin reaches out. Much like scruffing a misbehaving pet, her hold on Mordred's collar is firm.]

Do you act out because you enjoy punishment?
erbe: You understand kindness (050)

jail. jail for uwustace for 1 thousand years | also 1/2

[personal profile] erbe 2023-08-24 02:13 am (UTC)(link)
[That's what she needed. Despite the insect's thrashing about to free itself, at least it's more manageable than trying to break the thing like a wild stallion. With one hand she grabs the ant's antennae where its scape and funiculus meet. If he looks to her as she holds on he'll see the way her arm begins to glow. Blue light seems to spiral in squares from her wrist to her elbow like circuitry.]

Einäscherung!

[She shouts in German. Her empty palm flat on the ant's head. For a moment the creature is completely still. There are no flames. No scorched chitin.]
erbe: (104)

2/2

[personal profile] erbe 2023-08-24 02:15 am (UTC)(link)
[Moments later, however, the exoskeleton of the head splits. Like an egg that's been microwaved far too long it explodes into pieces with the gooey insides bursting out and sizzling. Rin, of course, gets flung off into nearby "bushes" made up of a cluster of overgrown clover with a completely undignified yelp.

Picture Perfect Landing.]
erbe: I murmur  "Besides it's obvious, and its not bad" (033)

[personal profile] erbe 2023-08-24 02:22 am (UTC)(link)
Very well. Stay put if you like.

[Her tail flicks once in irritation before she shrugs off the hold he has on her shoulder. The centipede draws nearer, and her hands reach into the pockets of her skirt. From it she pulls a couple gems, and under her breath she whispers:]

Anfang.

[As if the insect recognizes how her magical circuits flip open with a burst of magical energy it rears upward. Without waiting for it to strike, Rin flings a couple topaz gems at the beast and recites:]

Ein Körper ist ein Körper!

[The gems explode with a blinding white light. Pieces of its exoskeleton are pierced, and a few legs go missing, but that's not enough to fell the enemy.]
epiprocta: (67)

[personal profile] epiprocta 2023-08-24 02:29 am (UTC)(link)
[ Indeed, perhaps if Gen had permitted his pride to buckle and said that magical word, 'please,' this all could have turned out differently. Perhaps if Liem had never allowed the fae's influence to affect him so strongly, or even if he had, if he'd given Gen one more chance at bargaining, then tragedy could have been averted.

But Gen hadn't, and Liem hadn't, and so the stage is set. The moment Liem cuts that connection, immutable events are set into motion.

Now alone in that closed-off segment of his mind, Gen simply stares into the darkness for a long, long moment. Even as his heart boils, bubbles, froths with uncontrollable anger (anxiety, fear, unease, hatred, anger), a familiar, numb cold settles over him. His mind feels like it's about to unravel, certainly, and it feels like a clawed hand is squeezing at his lungs, but that doesn't change the fact that he knows what he needs to do now. (He'll do what he has to do. He's always done what he has to do. When it comes to protecting Reiji, he's always been able to do what needs to be done.)

He'd found a quartet of jars earlier, then simply hidden them away, telling himself he'd eventually figure out what to do with them. How convenient, then, that Liem has so kindly provided him with an answer.

Time to put them to use. ]
hauntedking: (17)

[personal profile] hauntedking 2023-08-24 02:29 am (UTC)(link)
Although I admittedly can't say I know you as well as I'd like... you seem to have a great well of strength within you, Yuri. You have to, to have come as far as you have and to do what you do. To participate in all of Fodlan's troubles.

[ He smiles. ]

You may not have the same physical strength, but you have something just as important.
hauntedking: (Default)

[personal profile] hauntedking 2023-08-24 02:30 am (UTC)(link)
[ Dimitri seems slightly taken aback and he considers Dextera for a long moment. ]

Is everything alright? Do you... really want this?

[ Because it feels a little off right now. ]
hauntedking: (06)

[personal profile] hauntedking 2023-08-24 02:32 am (UTC)(link)
[ Dimitri... does have thoughts about that evening, but he's also incredibly determined not to let it drag down his friendship with Link, no matter what else might happen. He likewise steps back to admire their handiwork with a little nod. ]

Yes. If nothing else, it might help against the wildlife. I don't think it will do much against a shard-bearer, though.

[ He glances down at link after a moment. ]

How are you? We haven't spoken in a little while.
alliterating: (021)

[personal profile] alliterating 2023-08-24 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
...really? That's it?

[ She does not believe this. ]

That can't be right!